The Clear Mist
by MichelleRabbit
Summary: Sequel to "Maiden of the Mist" The adventure continues for Megumi only unlike her friends, she wants to distance herself from Sasuke and the attempts to try to get him back. She can't help it though if she wants to be where all the action is and Sasuke just happens to always be involved. SasukexOC Sasuke OC SasukeOC
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The mist was unusually thick in the garden areas of the Mizukage's mansion. Hardly anything could be seen but that didn't mean it couldn't be heard. A ninja in a standard ANBU uniform approached the gardens and was soon surrounded by the thick veil; he listened and expertly followed the sound of the small stream he felt nearby that would lead to his target. His steps quickened as he heard his target's quiet and frustrated breaths grow closer and closer. The mist soon cleared to reveal the back of a girl seeming to be meditating atop of a large stone overlooking the flowers. The wind pushed her now long brown hair towards her ANBU mask sitting next to her as she remained oblivious of her visitor's presence.

"You do know that you're spreading a pretty thick mist right?" The ninja asked. The other ninja quickly turned her head towards him revealing the brown eyes that she possessed.

"Yuki! Did you get any news yet?" She asked with great worry in her eyes.

Yuki couldn't help but feel himself twitch in annoyance at what her priorities seemed to be. "Way to greet someone, Megumi." The sarcasm dripped from his words as he sat on the ground beside her and pointed a letter towards her with a teasing smile. "No, 'How are you, Yuki?' or 'Hey there, Yuki it's good to see you' maybe just a 'Hi.' But all in all I still forgive you." Megumi gave him an apologetic smile as she took the letter from his hand.

"Sorry about the mist. I've been trying to focus and distract my mind from this whole mess that I don't even notice when I release my chakra like this." She slowly opened the letter but sighed as she looked up at the sky.

It felt like so long ago that she received a letter from Shikamaru happily saying that Naruto had returned to the Leaf Village and was asking for them. She had been so happy and ready to go with Yuki to see his old roommate but it was quickly turned into worry and fear as she received a second letter from Temari. The past two years had helped her become closer to her friends from the other villages and that greatly included Gaara. In a way he had helped her become herself again and be happy after Sasuke had left her. And now he was suffering because the Akatsuki had captured him for the demon Shukaku inside of him and he could most likely be dead. Why did it always have to be Gaara? She looked towards Yuki with eyes glassy from unshed tears silently asking whether the news was good or bad. "I promise you right now Megumi that the news can't possibly get any worse."

She took a deep breath and started to read the letter from Temari. '_Wait! That writing.' _Her eyes widened as she realized it was a letter from the person she had been worried about the most.

_Megumi,_

_Temari tells me that you've been very worried about my well being and I must say that I'm grateful and flattered that you care. You can already guess that I'm alive and well, Naruto and a good acquaintance known as Grandma Chiyo can be thanked for that. Despite this whole situation being stressful and unnecessary, something good came out of it. It might sound like I'm being selfish, but I can't tell you how relieved I am to be free of the demon, Shukaku even though the Akatsuki now posses it. I still have all my past abilities which will prove beneficial when we try to stop them though. _

_I can hardly wait until we can see each other again. It will be nice to sit and watch the clouds together like we had become accustomed to doing, but as Kazekage it doesn't seem likely that I will have the time soon. _

_I sincerely hope I didn't worry you too much. Till we see each other again,_

_-Gaara _

She smiled up at Yuki as she finished reading and soon started to quietly laugh. He looked at her confused about her reaction, "Well, what is it? One minute you're almost crying and the next you're laughing." She ignored his comments and hugged him in absolute happiness. He was very confused but could tell it was good news as he returned the hug. '_Tch, girls.'_ In an attempt to gain her attention he cleared his throat and moved back a bit. "This nice and all but I was also sent because the Mizukage wanted to see us."

Megumi stood and brushed the dirt from her own ANBU uniform and picked up her mask that she had made sure looked like Haku's old mask. "Let's go see what the old lady needs then." She helped Yuki stand and happily walked inside the Mizukage's mansion and heading towards her office.

"You're lucky she didn't hear you say that or you'd be dead." He tiredly stated, Megumi's emotions usually had that effect on Yuki.

Megumi just smirked. "Then it's a good thing that she didn't hear me say it then," She said as she walked into the office.

As they walked inside they could see the leader of the Village Hidden in the Mist, Mei Terumi, reading over mission reports while her two body guards, Ao and Chojuro, stood watch next to her desk. "You called for us Lady Mizukage." Yuki stated lazily.

Mei looked up towards them and gave them a wide smile. "Guess who has a mission for you two." They both groaned and drooped in posture, couldn't they get a small break? The Mizukage blinked in confusion that her usually "ready for any mission" ninja were now dreading one. "What's wrong with you two? I thought you would have liked a new mission, especially now that you're ANBU." They couldn't help but flinch as she pouted; she always did that when she wanted something.

Megumi stepped forward with a nervous smile and waving hands. "I-It's not that we don't appreciate it, it's just that we were kind of hoping for a little break to, maybe, visit some old friends."

They waited in silence for she would say stuck in anticipation. "Well, then it's a good thing this mission takes place in the Leaf Village." Yuki and Megumi exchanged confused looks before looking back at the Mizukage. "I want you to give a very important message to the Hokage, it is imperative that you give it directly to her and not let anyone else see it. I also expect a reply but I doubt that would need an escort." She snapped her fingers signaling Chojuro to give Megumi the envelope. Yuki couldn't help but roll his eyes as he saw him blush at Megumi's thankful smile. '_And this guy is supposed to be a part of the Seven Swordsman of the Mist? He practically falls apart whenever a girl says "Hi" to him.'_

"Alright you two, I trained you myself to be at this level so I expect the best from you even if this is a regular mission." Ao stated seriously.

"Yes sir."

Mei couldn't help but yawn. "Ao, why do you always have to be so boring? Let them have their fun." Her eyes sparkled as she slammed her hand against the desk and stood smiling. "I just got a marvelous idea! The two of you have seemed a little down as of late so after you have completed this mission I'm granting you a small vacation until your next mission."

Ao just sighed as he looked towards his boss. "That's not exactly the great idea I was expecting."

"Make sure you tell that old bag of bones, Tsunade, I said 'Hello and thanks.' If it weren't for her I wouldn't have my two favorite ninjas here." She stated with a flourish, her two bodyguards weren't too happy though as they gave her an annoyed and insulted look. She merely ignored them though as she happily gazed at her young protégées.

Megumi smiled shyly and placed her mask on her face with Yuki doing the same. "If that will be all milady we'll be going now to complete our mission."

They were almost out the door when the Mizukage called then back. "One more thing…" She still had her happy smile that was now becoming a bit frightening. "I suggest that you don't make fun of my age ever again, you either need to shut up…" She stood from her seat and walked to the front of her desk with ankle length hair flowing behind. Megumi and Yuki were thankful for the masks on their faces but you could still tell they were fearful as their bodies trembled. "…or I'll kill you. That's all." They stumbled out of the room with a mumbled '_Thank you milady.'_

They had gone back to their rooms in the mansion and began to pack for their mission. Megumi stood and looked around her comfortable space in awe; she couldn't believe how nice the Mizukage was to allow them to stay in the mansion with her. She placed an extra set of uniforms in her backpack and a bento filled with sweet dango. Ever since she had them with Sasuke all that time ago she always needed to have them whenever she went on a mission, it was more of an obsession than a craving. '_Sasuke…'_ Just thinking about him brought down her mood. She looked towards the far wall and could see her katana sitting in its sheath waiting to be used. She sighed but still placed it on her back. '_Better safe than sorry.'_ The last time it had been used was when Sasuke had it placed against her neck, since then she just didn't have the guts to use it anymore. '_With Naruto back though, I have a feeling that might change.' _

"Megumi, you ready to go? If we leave now we might be able to make it to the last boat in time and be there tomorrow." Megumi nodded and placed her mask on her face again. She wore it so often that sometimes she would wonder which was her real face and which was her mask.

_._._._._._

Two Days Later

"Well, I must say I expected you here earlier than this." The Hokage watched the ninjas walk into her room and give a deep bow.

"Forgive us, Lady Tsunade." Megumi stated while giving a glare to Yuki through her mask. "We would have been here earlier if it weren't for Yuki getting us on the wrong boat."

Yuki chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head. "C'mon, it was an honest mistake."

There was a knock on the door as they were speaking and it opened to reveal a man that looked like a regular Jonin, a very pale boy with a blank smile, and Sakura and Naruto. "Hey Granny Tsunade! What's the big idea giving us this jerk for our team? Eh…" He quieted as he saw the two ANBU ninjas in the room. "Who are these guys?"

Megumi giggled behind her mask, while Yuki scowled behind his. "You don't recognize us? It's only been two years." She said with a sad voice.

"Uh, I-I um… I guess I do." Naruto couldn't help but stutter. '_Oh no, not another Shino situation.'_

Yuki sighed as he pulled his mask off. "Don't worry about it Naruto. You're not supposed to recognize us with these masks on anywa-!" The next thing they knew, Naruto had tackled Yuki to the ground and was hugging him.

"Yuki! It's been so long! I was so sad when I heard you weren't living here anymore. My apartment was so dirty but not anymore, you're going to make it perfect again!"

He kept trying to push away the orange blob on top of him but it was like he was attached to him. "Is that all I am? A maid! Are you really so stupid that you can't even clean a room!" Yuki yelled. It didn't even faze Naruto though as he continued to hug him. His eyes widened as he looked at Megumi as she took her mask off and immediately went after her with open arms.

"Megumi! Wait…" He suddenly had her at arms length and was looking her over from head to toe then turned around and looked at Yuki as he brushed off dirt from his uniform. '_Uniform…ANBU…ANBU uniform.' _His eyes widened with realization. "You guys are ANBU!" He took her mask from her hands and looked it over as if he couldn't believe it was real.

Tsunade rubbed her head as his loud voice gave her a headache. "Naruto, while you might be surprised about this development they are here on a mission and need to go ahead with that."

"But, how could they be ninja? They were missing ninja remember! Sakura, you remember don't you? How did this happen? I'm still a Genin!"

'_So that's why he's freaking out. He still hasn't been promoted to any higher level.'_ Megumi thought with a smile.

Sakura merely smiled at the situation while Tsunade gave a huff of frustration. "If I explain it to you will you shut up and let me get back to business?" Naruto nodded with puppy dog eyes as he still had Megumi at arms length. "Alright. After you left to go training with Jaraiya, Mei Terumi, the Mizukage had heard rumors of mist ninja living in the Leaf Village. She and I are acquaintances so of course she asked me to confirm these rumors. I told her their entire story and told her that she would be an idiot to let them be executed for their crimes, although I let some minor details out. Long story short, she let them become official ninja of the Mist and apparently they have become ANBU and some of her closest guards. Satisfied?"

"Bu-but, I'm a Genin. They're ANBU…wha?" He merely mumbled as he stumbled and sat on a chair across from Tsunade.

"Now back to business, Yuki, Megumi, I'd like to introduce you to Kakashi's temporary replacement, Captain Yamato, and the newest member of Team Kakashi, Sai." They said hello to Yamato who looked nice enough but Megumi couldn't help but severely blush as she looked at Sai. His shirt was a bit short and allowed her a full view of his well toned abdominals.

She felt close to fainting as he suddenly grabbed her head and brought it very close to his own. "I must say that is very nice shade of red on your face." She watched as his smile turned into a confused look. "Now it's even darker, how strange."

Yamato stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder. "That's enough, Sai, we don't want her faint do we?" He laughed.

Tsunade stood from her seat which immediately demanded the attention of all her guests. "Now that we have that out of the way, Yamato tell us the details about your mission and how you plan to approach the situation."

Captain Yamato stepped forward and cleared his throat. "The four of us will head to Tenshi Bridge, capture the Akatsuki spy who has infiltrated Orochimaru's organization, and bring them back." Megumi's eyes widened at the mention of Orochimaru and listened more intently as he continued. "This is the best shot we have at gaining intelligence on Orochimaru and Uchiha. Intelligence we can eventually use to orchestrate his assassination and if we're lucky, Sasuke Uchiha's retrival so we're going to have to keep that in mind."

The room became thick with tension as the mission's importance was revealed. Megumi tightened her hands into fists as she thought of all that was at stake and looked up at Lady Tsunade with confidence in her eyes. "Milady, seeing as though Lady Mizukage has given us a vacation I'd like to use my free time and offer my services for this mission." Tsunade watched her quietly as if summing her up. "Uh, I- since it's a capture mission I could be more support and strength, or I could be reconnaissance, I could do anything, just please let me be a part of this."

"No!" Everyone's eyes widened as they looked towards Sakura, surprised at her outburst. "We can't let them come. Especially her." She said pointing towards Megumi.

Tsunade sighed and reached over and took out her sake bottle and cup from her drawer. "I'm surprised with you Sakura. You're letting your emotions get in the way of the goal. Can't you see that with the support of an ANBU level ninja the mission would have a larger chance at success?"

Sakura continued giving her cold look, "I don't want her on this mission, and I'm sorry milady."

Tsunade quickly drank a shot of sake and looked at Sakura with a stern but sad face. "If that's how feel, then I'm sorry to say that Megumi will have to take your place in this mission."

Everyone's eyes widened at the Hokage's decision. Megumi looked distraught, this wasn't what she wanted. "Lady Tsunade I-"

She was cut off as Tsunade held up her hand. "That's my final word. You're all dismissed except for you Yuki. We still have some business to attend to."

The door shut behind them and Megumi couldn't help but be nervous as she looked up at Sakura who's gaze had stayed on the ground. "Sakura…" She sighed as Sakura walked away without even looking at her. Naruto merely shrugged when Megumi looked towards him.

"Uh…Ok, we'll meet at the village gate in one hour so…till then." Yamato awkwardly stated.

Megumi sighed but smiled a bit as she felt Naruto's comforting hand on her shoulder. "Let's go get some ramen and catch up." She could only nod as he led her there.

_._._._._._

Meanwhile back in Lady Tsunade's office, Yuki had given her the important message from the Mizukage. "I hope you don't mind Yuki that I left you out of this mission. I thought it would be better for Megumi if she went without you, to maybe feel what it's like to have some distance."

Yuki just shrugged as he put his mask back on his. "It's fine, in all honesty I was thinking the same thing. I'm not sure if I'll always be around for her so this should be good."

Tsunade chuckled at his words. "Heh, you sound like a father. C'mon, try to act younger." She joked, her smile quickly fell though as she read the message;

_103cm, you old hag! I'm starting to catch up to you, HA!_

_-Mei _

Her face was burning with anger. Yuki jumped back in fear as the Hokage growled and ripped the paper to shreds in front of her.

"That little girl could never catch up to me! Grr, I'll get her for this!"

As Tsunade continued her tantrum, Yuki carefully approached her desk and picked up a piece of the paper that had fallen to see what it said. '_103cm? What does that even mean?' _He quickly ducked as Tsunade threw a vase towards his direction.

**AN:**

**You win a cookie if you get what the whole 103 cm thing means. Nah, I'm kidding. You get the internet of course. **

**As promised, here is your sequel. Review if you please because I just adore reading your opinions and I always accept constructive criticism, so yeah.**

**Like the first story this was more of an introduction, or reintroduction to my characters so I hope you liked it. It's nice to be back to Naruto ^_^**

**-Michelle**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"So how were your last two years?"

Naruto looked up at her with a mouthful of ramen as he thought about his answer. "Well…Pervy Sage really let me have it. We hardly rest and everyday he had me training, 'no time for fun' is what he would tell me." He slurped on more ramen noodles as he spoke with his mouth full. "What about you? Other than what Grandma Tsunade told me, what have you been up to?"

Megumi stirred her bowl of food with her chopsticks, she wasn't exactly hungry but any time Naruto was willing to pay was a time not meant to be taken lightly. "Hmm, not much. I mean, Yuki and I have been going on a lot of missions but I can't really talk about them. We've been having Lady Mizukage's body guard, Ao, give us ANBU training but we can't talk about that either. So…yeah." She finished with a smile. It slowly faltered though as he gave her a blank stare.

"No offense, but you didn't really tell me anything Megumi. Can't you talk about anything in ANBU?" He reached over and took Megumi's bowl as he spoke, why let something so delicious go to waste?

Megumi just laughed at his action. "I'm sorry, that's what we were told."

She wasn't sure if he was humming because the ramen was good or if he was humming in thought of what she said. His eyes became wide though as he gasped and looked at Megumi in panic. "What time is it?" He seemed to ask himself, he yelled in frustration as he looked out at the sun's position for an answer. "Megumi! We have to go, we're late!" She was barely going to take a bite from her half eaten bowl of ramen when she felt herself get lifted and placed on Naruto's shoulder as he ran for the village gate.

"Naruto! We didn't pay!" She yelled over to him. He ignored her though as he kept running to make it in time for his first mission with new teammates.

_._._._._._

While they were walking towards their destination Megumi couldn't help but stare at Naruto as he stared at Sai as he stared at, well nothing. Sai was very strange, he smiled all the time but it almost felt hallow. Almost like he didn't really mean it, but then why would he do that? '_So many things for me to wonder.'_ She thought with a sigh.

"Hey, Megumi." Naruto whispered.

She looked up at him and saw he was still staring intently at Sai. "What is it, Naruto?"

"Do you think Sai is like Sasuke?"She conspicuously watched him from behind her mask, searching for something that reminded her of her dear friend.

"Why do you ask?"

"It's just that, Sakura said that maybe I don't like Sai because he reminds me of Sasuke but I don't believe that at all." Megumi couldn't help the chuckle that came out of her as she watched Naruto pout at the thought of someone being like Sasuke. "W-what's so funny! This is a serious question I'm asking."

She laughed again as his pouted even more in annoyance.

They both turned towards Sai looking for any kind of Sasuke like qualities he might have had. '_Well there's sort of a resemblance, I guess.' _Naruto thought while openly staring at him.

Sai felt Naruto's stare and faced him with a blank look. "Well, what is it?" He spoke emotionlessly.

'_He sort of sounds like him.'_ Megumi also thought. '_Then again so do a lot of guys…' _She watched as Sai gave Naruto another blank smile.

"If you keep staring at me like that, I will hit you." Naruto's small pout soon turned into a full blown glare as he raised a fist towards Sai.

"Where did that come from? Where do you get off saying things like that? Listen you!" He yelled as he saw Sai return his focus to his walking. '_Grr, I take it back; this guy's nothing like Sasuke!' _

Sai turned to both of his teammates as he tried to give them a nonthreatening smile, but they could tell he didn't mean it. "I really have nothing personal against you, Naruto."

"Yeah? Then why'd you say it?" Naruto yelled with a point of his finger.

He laughed again at his blonde teammate's reaction. "You don't understand, I was merely trying a personality type."

Megumi tilted her head in confusion of his statement. "Personality type?"

Naruto focused on the negative side of his sentence though as he lashed out again at Sai. "You were trying to do it? That means you meant it!" He stopped walking as he glared daggers at Sai's back. "Grr, we don't need someone like you on this team."

Megumi couldn't believe how much anger Naruto had placed into that statement. She stopped as she saw Captain Yamato come to a standstill and look towards them. "Naruto, please…" She tried placing a comforting hand on his arm but he just walked closer to Sai with an even deeper frown.

"You really rub me the wrong way." He took another step forward but was soon stopped by Yamato's voice.

"Alright that's enough!" He glared at both Naruto and Sai as he stepped forward. "That's no way to talk, especially in front of me, your team captain." While he was addressing them, Naruto could feel that most of the reprimanding conversation was being directed towards him. "Mutual respect and trust are essential elements of teamwork, weren't you taught that? You're both a part of Team Kakashi so lose the attitude."

Megumi jumped a bit as she heard Naruto's almost feral growl come out of his mouth. "He's not a part of Team Kakashi, not now not ever!" He couldn't even stand to look at Sai as he pointed at him. "The fourth member of our team is and always will be Sasuke Uchiha! He will never be a real member of the team, he's nothing but a fill in for Sasuke."

"Well, I'm glad." Sai spoke towards Naruto. "I'm glad that's how you feel. Sasuke is a traitor. He betrayed the Leaf and joined Orochimaru." His stare and voice were starting to make Megumi nervous, '_How many secrets could one person keep with such an emotionless disposition?' _

Naruto merely glared back, he didn't like where Sai was taking the conversation. "So what's your point?"

"My point is that you're right, I'm not like him at all. I'm not a traitorous cockroach, I can't fill in for someone like that."

The next second had Naruto blinking in confusion, he clenched his fist tightly one second and then saw Sai be surrounded by a cloud of smoke the next. "W-wha?"

As the smoke cleared his eyes widened at the sight of Megumi in front of Sai with her blade at his throat ready take his life, and Yamato with his hand firmly stopping her arm and a kunai against her mask ready to stop her. "Calm down, Megumi. You of all people, as an ANBU operative need to know that you shouldn't let your emotions control you." He tried to sooth her.

She let out her own small growl as she stepped back and sheathed her katana. "Naruto may have been out of line but so was Sai, I won't stand for him speaking so highly about something he doesn't even know about. Wasn't it you a second ago that said we shouldn't speak like that, Captain Yamato?" She stated emotionlessly as she continued walking towards her destination not expecting an answer.

Yamato merely stared after her as he watched his two other subordinates follow her. _'This girl, if it weren't for the fact that I might surpass her as an ANBU member, I might not have been fast enough to have stopped her in time. She really meant to kill him though, it's almost like her personality changed in a flash.'_

One Hour Later…

Megumi found herself blushing in her spot in the hot springs with her eyes shut. While Captain Yamato thought it would help their team dynamic improve, Megumi thought it was very uncomfortable. She was surrounded by naked women happily interacting with each other, while she tried to relax in her small corner with her small towel covering her up. "Mind your own business!" She perked up as she heard Naruto's voice and looked towards the partition that held the male section on the other side. "Damn it! Your always 'balls this' or 'balls that!' You're so annoying!" Megumi blushed even harder as all the girls in the springs started to laugh at his outburst. '_How embarrassing!" _She slowly sank into the water and slowly walked through the water towards the stairs in order to escape her awkward feelings.

Once she was back in the changing room and made sure there was no one else around, she quickly changed into her uniform and speed walked towards her room. As she passed Yamato's room though, she felt a strong need to see him. It was probably guilt eating away at her as she thought about how she acted on their way to their current location. '_I guess I should say sorry.'_

"Come in." Megumi jumped as she heard voice before she even had time to think about knocking. She blushed as she saw him only in his robe. '_What's with this place, why does it keep making me blush?'_ She covered her face as she heard him stand. "Why aren't you in your robe, Megumi? You should be relaxing." He moved he hand out of her face in hopes of making her more comfortable but only achieved in giving her a deeper blush. "You sure do blush a lot."

"I'm sorry, I-I'm not used to these types of situations so I tend blush at your, w-well not just yours but, uh…" She tried speaking correctly but it was getting increasingly difficult as she felt more uncomfortable.

"You're not used to being this close to uncovered male bodies, is that it?" She shut her eyes in embarrassment. Yamato couldn't help but laugh a bit, '_Where's that girl that nearly killed Sai? She's completely different now.' _He sat down in front of a low table and made sure his ANBU mask was hidden from her. "It's not just male bodies though; you seemed flustered when we left you alone in the women's hot springs. Don't worry, Lady Tsunade filled me in on your story so I know that you haven't had much casual or normal interaction with large groups of people, much less when they're naked." He laughed at his own humor but Megumi didn't find him laughing at her problems funny.

In hopes of appearing more relaxed, she took off her arm and leg guards and her vest, leaving her in her gloves, shirt, and pants, and even put up her long hair in a bun. "Uh…" She looked up at him in search for some sign of approval, but he only smiled at her searching brown eyes, '_At least she's trying.' _ She cleared her throat ready for what she would say. "About today, I wanted to apologize for I what I said and for almost killing Sai, although he did deserve to get beat. She murmured the last part to herself. "It's like you said too, I of all people should know not to let my emotions get in the way."

Yamato watched the young Mist ninja, in a way she was a tamer female version of Naruto. Her emotions seemed to creep up on her and take over. "That's alright, I know how Sai got to you." He said while petting her head. She smiled widely at him as she placed her hand on her head where he had pet her.

Their small moment was ended abruptly as Naruto barged into the room with Sai behind him. "Yo! Captain Yamato, where's dinner I'm starving!"

_._._._._._

The sound of chirping birds filtered into the room and seemed to brighten it, telling its inhabitants that it was now morning.

Megumi rolled over and stared at her windowsill where the robin sat singing to her and telling her to wake up. '_What if it's actually insulting me?' _She sat up at the strange thought and rubbed her eyes. "Where am I?" She thought groggily, she used to be very cheery in the mornings but she had a theory that puberty had now warped her view of the sunrise and made her grouchy when woken up. And the bird just wouldn't stop singing. '_I want to scare the bird away, but I don't want to move. But if I don't do anything about it, it'll just keep chirping.' _She contemplated her choices as she stared into space.

Outside the inn and Megumi's window, Sai sat staring into the landscape seeming to be looking for something. "Squawk!" he looked towards her window as a kunai knife struck the ground next to him and a small robin quickly flew by fleeing for its life.

It only took a few moments for Sai to see Megumi appear next to him fully ready for their next destination. She grabbed the kunai from the ground and let herself fall to the ground next to him. "I'd usually apologize, but I don't really mean it so…"

Sai just gave her his now signature smile, "You must not be a morning person, I must say you do look awful when you're half asleep." He bluntly stated while now drawing and coloring.

"You're so lucky Yamato made me promise not to hurt you yesterday at dinner or I would be wiping your blood off my sword right now." She said as she looked at what he was drawing. It looked like abstract swirls wrapping around each other, it didn't make much sense but for some reason she still liked it.

Sai looked at her from the corner of his eye, "Why don't you like me?" he asked.

Megumi looked up at him in surprise of the question. "In all honesty, you've only ever given me reasons not to like you. I think this is the first time we've actually been ok with each other. I'm sorry if I've hurt your feelings so far." Sai merely continued with his drawing, Megumi wasn't even sure if he had heard her at all. "Um…"

"It's really not a problem; you see I don't think I have feelings or emotions to even get hurt in me."

"But how is that possible, you've had to have felt something sometime ago."

His drawing started to look more finished as he added more reds to certain spots and other accent colors that compliment certain sections. "I've never felt anything before. Even now I feel nothing as we speak, all I know about emotions is what I read about in books."

She was about to say something else but turned quickly as she heard steps come from behind her. "Well that figures, I wouldn't expect such a heartless bastard to have feelings." Naruto walked up to them and tried to look uninterested as he looked at Sai's drawing from the corner of his eye. "Hmph, whatever. That drawings nothing special."

Sai didn't miss a beat though as he smiled up at him, or more like smiled at his southern areas. "Yes, you're right Naruto. Just like what's between your legs."

Naruto turned completely red as he tried to stammer out a reply but couldn't think of anything and turned to Megumi who had covered her own blushing face. "D-damn it! That's it, I've had it. I hate you! If you have a problem with me then you drop that stupid smile on your face and just tell it to me straight!" He pointed towards Sai in a challenging way as he turned red again in anger. "Anytime you wanna fight I'm ready!" Sai closed his book knowing he wouldn't be able to draw anymore which caused Naruto to gasp in surprise. "Oh you want to go at it then?" He said in a fake fighters stance.

"Problem?" Sai continued packing his drawing supplies as he spoke. "I don't have a problem like I said before, I've never felt anything before meaning I don't feel anything towards either of you, good or bad." The wind was all that could be heard as Naruto and Megumi silently took in the information.

_._._._._._

They were hidden behind some bushes as the sound of the forceful wind carried off any sound or sent they might have given off. Up ahead, a man in covering cloak could be seen approaching the Tenchi Bridge casual as ever but without revealing his identity. Behind them they could hear the distinct sounds of bells. "It's about time." Naruto grumbled. Megumi just shushed him as she watched Yamato, transformed as Sasori in his puppet, approached the figure now in the middle of the bridge.

Sai seemed to be frozen in his spot as he completely focused on the scene in front of them. The spy seeming to have deemed the area was safe lowered his hood and faced Yamato, or actually Sasori. "N-no way. Kabuto, he's back?" Megumi faintly heard Naruto murmur.

"Naruto, you know him?" She whispered. She only received a nod as he seemed to focus back into the conversation. Nothing could be heard though, the wind was far too strong but they couldn't move as that was the best spot for them to remain. '_We'll just have to wait until Captain Yamato tells us himself what the spy said.'_

Suddenly, the situation turned to its worst case scenario as Yamato took out a kunai to attack the spy but was stopped by another presence. Megumi's and Naruto's eyes widened as they saw Orochimaru appear on the bridge. "What do we do?" She heard Naruto whisper harshly to her.

What could they do? "We have to wait for the signal. That's what Captain Yamato told us to do." She stated worriedly.

"Yeah but-" He was cut off as they watched Kabuto cut through Yamato's disguise with a chakra blade. He tried to jump back but was forcefully brought down by Orochimaru's shadow snakes wrapping around him and biting him. It quickly turned out to be a substitution jutsu as he appeared on the bridge with a deep wound on his arm and gave the signal.

'_What's going on?' _Megumi thought as they jumped in front of him in a defensive position. She glared at Orochimaru as she faced him head on waiting for his next move with Naruto and Sai beside her.

"Well, don't you look familiar? Always trying to protect Sasuke when he actually wanted nothing to do with you." Her glare deepened as he tried to get a reaction out of her. "And I see the Nine-Tails tagged along." He chuckled as he looked at all of them. "Well, might as well have a little fun together."

**AN:**

**Please Review, button is down there. I really need it this time, I wasn't too happy with this chapter so I promise the next will be better. Thank you to my lovely reviewers and favoriters and alerters, I wonder if those are real words, anyway if it weren't for YOU I wouldn't even be writing this so thank you ^_^**

**-Michelle **


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Let's find out who's gotten stronger. The Nine-Tails, or Sasuke…" Orochimaru taunted. Naruto let out a feral growl in warning as his eyes seemed to get redder and his fangs grew larger.

Megumi gasped as he started to scratch the ground with his elongated nails. He looked down as his now guttural voice seemed to shake him. "You give him back!" Sai's eyes widened with surprise as Naruto became engulfed by a red type of chakra.

Kabuto smirked at the reaction as he adjusted his glasses and sent a menacing smirk in his direction. "Again with these accusations? Sasuke came to us of his own accord, you can't dwell in the past here." He crossed his arms and mockingly chuckled in their direction. "It's really quite unbecoming of a man."

"Shut up!" Megumi snapped. She could tell how his words had affected Naruto and she couldn't take it anymore. "You don't know how others feel about this! All you know is cold logic." Orochimaru continued smiling as if nothing was wrong.

"If you really want to know about Sasuke, then I guess you're just going to have to force it out of me…if you think you're up to it." He said with fake pity in his voice. Yamato was still behind them watching the situation, '_This is bad. We aren't ready for actual contact with Orochimaru. We're going to have to retreat.'_ He thought with clenched hands and was going to call them back when Naruto suddenly pounced towards Orochimaru leaving splintered wood and dust in his place.

"Naruto! Don't do it!" He called, but it was too late.

Naruto had been able to land a direct hit to Orochimaru's face with enough force to send him flying through the forest surrounding them and shaking the bridge. "Naruto?" Megumi called. Her eyes widened as he turned to look at her. He wasn't himself anymore, his eyes had grown sharper and more animal like, the whisker marks on his cheeks were more prominent, but the most alarming feature Naruto had gained were the ears and tail the chakra surrounding him had created. "Wha-?" She murmured.

Megumi took a deep breath as she tried to think about what had just happened. "Ok…" She murmured, after another quick breath she started to run towards Naruto in hopes of perhaps offering some sort of support.

"Megumi, stop!" She halted in her steps at the sound of Yamato's voice and gasped as she realized her mistake. The bridge moved back and forth as Naruto's earlier attack had broken some of the support holding it together. The Tenchi Bridge could fall at any moment and she had unknowingly walked right into the middle of it.

The situation had, if possible, worsened when Orochimaru slowly walked out of the trees. His face seemed too had been ripped to shreds and strangely enough as it revealed a different face underneath. The face even seemed to have grayish hair and looked to be like a young man's features but they couldn't dwell to long on these details as Orochimaru put a hand over the torn sections and revealed his real face without a single scratch. The bridge eerily shook with each step he took growing closer and closer to Naruto with a happy smirk.

"Well, wasn't that surprising? I can't help but be curious for my Sasuke. We should put his growth to the test and pit him against Naruto here." He stated almost as if asking the others around him. His smirk deepened as he watched Naruto's reaction.

The chakra surrounding his body began to bubble and expand. "You don't own him. Sasuke is not your property!" He seemed to reassure himself. It was like he was fighting the transformation as he glared at his opponent while panting, growling, and digging his nails again into the now splintered floorboards. Was the red chakra hurting him? "Don't talk about my friend that way! Especially in front of me, you rotten bastard!"

The chakra surged through the air as small pieces of wood and grass flew along with it forcing Yamato, Megumi, Sai to step back a bit for their own safety. As quickly as it happened though, it abruptly stopped leaving behind even more damage to the bridge. "So it happened." Megumi turned towards Yamato as he looked towards Naruto. "The Nine Tails Cloak, three tails." He mumbled. Megumi gasped as she looked towards Naruto and what once was two tails of chakra had now been split into three.

While they watched in shock of his actions, Kabuto seemed to care less as he was still smirking and answered Orochimaru. "Naruto may have come a long way as a Jinchuriki but it still seems like he's not even close to Sasuke's level."

Naruto's eyes quickly shifted to Kabuto and started to growl. Low at first but slowly growing louder and louder until finally he let out what looked to be a yell but turned out to be chakra released from his mouth quickly going towards his target. His team could only watch as Kabuto was directly hit and flung past their direction and hitting a tree behind them.

Yamato couldn't believe what was happening. A simple reconnaissance mission that had now turned into a battle for Naruto against Orochimaru, and they couldn't do anything to supply support. "Sai! Megumi! We have to get out of here!" He called towards them. But as they took a step back, the bridge began to shake uncontrollably and the force of Naruto's attack took it'd toll as the bridge began to crumble from the middle and fall apart towards them.

Unfortunately for Megumi, she was on the wrong side of the bridge, if she moved one way the secure place she had found would quickly crumble and lead to her death before she could even react. "Gonna have to jump for it." She encouraged herself. As she readied to jump though the rest of her block of the bridge crumbled and she found herself falling along with the rubble. There was no solid place so she couldn't release any chakra to jump to the top; her eyes widened though as she saw the shadow of a bird come from the sky and start to fly forward towards Megumi. It was Sai on top of one of his paintings brought to life, she was going to be saved. She smiled towards him but it quickly disappeared as he started to pull up and almost as if in slow motion, smirked at her and let her fall. "That bastard." She growled.

Luckily, her mind started to work faster allowing her to come up with her next plan. She quickly brought out a Kunai knife and tied a strong thread on it before throwing it towards Sai with an extra push of chakra. Megumi was soon being pulled out of the cliff and dragged towards Sai's unknown destination. He looked down at her with slightly larger eyes while she held on for her life. "I must say that was quite impressive. But what will you do about this?" Sai said with a flash of a kunai knife.

Megumi's breath caught in her throat as she saw it and glared at him despite knowing it would do nothing. "You wouldn't do it."

"You'd be surprised." Before he could cut the wire though the ink bird they had been riding on flew back a bit and was soon hit with a strong gust of wind as what seemed like an explosion appeared underneath them. His eyes widened as he looked at the scene unfolding in the forest.

"What?" Megumi looked down in confusion but quickly wished she hadn't. Below their location in the sky, Naruto was surrounded by a crater of dirt that was once full of trees and seemed to have grown another tail of chakra and up on a tree a one armed Orochimaru seemed to look like he was chocking and as he looked up at the sky seeming to be in pain, something or someone started to come out from his mouth. First came hands, then a black mess of hair atop a head appeared until finally a completely healed Orochimaru came out of his own body still smiling as if nothing was amiss. "Bu-but how is that possible?" She mumbled to herself, she soon gasped as she felt the thread she was holding on to start to move uncontrollably and looked up to see Sai jumping from his bird as it started to deteriorate into ink. "No…"

Sai didn't even think twice as he jumped onto a branch on a tree and began moving. He heard someone land behind him but didn't have to turn around to know that Megumi had landed safely and was now chasing after him. They soon came to a stop though as another explosion of air came from where Naruto was currently located. As they hid behind trees to protect themselves from the strong winds they couldn't help but stare at each other, knowing that something would happen between each other.

The moment the wind had gone back to its normal small breeze they were off, knives clashing with each other, punches being thrown, they seemed to be evenly matched as they dodged and countered each other's attacks perfectly. "You don't even know why we're fighting, do you Megumi?" Sai asked as he ducked in time to miss a swipe of a kunai knife.

"I don't need to know." She retaliated. "You disobeyed orders from a superior and left your team during a mission." She dodged his own kunai but didn't see his leg until it had connected to her side giving him the chance to push her up against a tree nearby.

Sai maintained his regular blank stare as he yanked her mask from her face and looked into Megumi's glaring brown eyes. "So you are going to take me back to the Captain in hopes of getting answers as to why I left." She merely nodded as he placed more pressure to her neck. "What makes you think you can take me back when you couldn't even manage to bring back that traitor Sasuke? You don't even know what I'm going to do and whether or not it would be beneficial to the mission"

While she knew he was only trying to annoy her more, Megumi just couldn't stop the feeling of wanting to kill Sai envelope her body. As she was about to attack though, Sai had pushed her back and stood behind a tree across from her as something flew between them leaving a path of destruction. Megumi shielded her face from the strong winds as she reached towards her dropped masked but gave out a small shriek as someone's hand came upon her face and pulled her to a high off branch.

Her fist was about to connect to the person's face when she realized it had been Yamato to pull her aside. "You dropped this." He stated as he handed her back her mask. She nodded her thanks while staring at him with waiting eyes. Yamato gave a nervous laugh after he saw her un amused look. "I guess I should explain. Uh, while what you did was right at the time it would prove more beneficial for us if we just observed Sai's actions and see why he's doing this."

Megumi nodded as she watched Sai's movements, he looked around a bit hoping to find any sign of her around him when he started to approach the original sight for Narut's battle with Orochimaru. Apparently the object that had flown by themselves had been Naruto himself and all that stood now was Orochimaru inside the crater glaring at Saia she approached him.

The wind was once again proving to be a hindrance to Megumi as she could not hear a single word of the conversation being spoken by them but if Ao had taught her anything, it was that body language could be just as important. At one point Sai had been attacked by one of Orochimaru's snakes turning into a sword that soon revealed him as a clone made of ink. The fact that Sai was still alive after he showing himself proved that the conversation was very important. Now though, she was standing in shock of what she had just witnessed.

Kabuto had appeared and had Sai on the ground with a kunai at his neck. Fearing that he would be taken prisoner, Megumi readied herself to save him but was stopped by a hand at her shoulder. Yamato continued to stare at the scene making her turn back in time to see Sai be released and willingly follow Kabuto and Orochimaru to an unknown location. "It was just as we feared." Megumi could only silently agree as she saw another leaf ninja willingly leave with that snake. "Megumi."

She jumped at his suddenly stern voice. "Yes, sir."

"I need you to stay here, you'll find Naruto and the real Yamato will meet up with you in a bit. You will then have to wait for further orders."

"Wait. You're not Yamato?" She asked incredulously.

He shook his head while looking all around himself. "No, I'm a clone he created. I have to go now to track them so please wait now to continue the mission."

"Alrigh-" Before she could finish saying the word he had already moved on with his own goal. "Ok." She told herself as she started to head to the center of the crater herself so that they would spot her more easily.

**AN:**

**I forgot to mention what the whole note thing with Tsunade and Mei was about, sorry. When I first saw Mei in the manga and that she was the Mizukage, I had a strange story get into my brain. It was basically about the possibility that maybe she had met Lady Tsunade some time ago and they became friends. And yes, the note was a bit of a joke about their, umm… well endowed womanly assets, I guess you would call it. **

**On a side note, sorry about the delay! It was completely unintentional for me, but my laptop had other plans and decided to kill my battery. It's all good now so expect some regular updates again. Maybe even a few new stories 9.9 Anyway I hope you enjoy the chapter. **

**Please leave your Reviews!**

**-Michelle **


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Megumi!" She turned around from her place and felt her eyes widen as she saw Naruto running towards her with Sakura and Yamato close behind. "Hey, are you ok? Sai didn't do anything did he?" He asked as he looked her over.

It was as if nothing had happened and he was back to normal."Naruto? Do you feel better now that your chakra is normal again?" He answered her with a confused filled look.

"Normal again?" He looked around the crater oblivious to the fact that he had created it. "This place is torn apart and the bridge is completely destroyed, can someone tell me what happened here." Naruto said as he kicked the ground a bit. "The dirt is still soft, so this wasn't that long ago." Megumi couldn't believe it. '_How could he forget everything that happened?'_

Sakura stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder with her regular comforting smile. "When I got here, Yamato had told me that Orochimaru attacked you and knocked you out."

"What? But I don't even remember anything." He contemplated.

Megumi looked towards Sakura and gave her a smile behind her mask. "It's a good thing you got here then to heal him Sakura."

"Lady Tsunade realized that the team might need a medic so she sent me here quickly to support you guys. It's nothing special." She stated numbly as she walked towards some objects on the ground. She picked up a small book and slowly observed it. "This is Sai's picture book. It was so important to him though, why would he just leave it here?"

"Even Sai can get rattled by having to deal with Orochimaru." Yamato said.

Naruto was still confused though, what had happened? Why would Sai just leave them? "You sound like you actually saw him get scared. Didn't the guy say he had no emotions?" He asked.

"I was in contact with the wood clone I had stationed over here via wireless headset, so in a way I got at least the gist of what had happened." Yamato surmised. "Besides, Megumi was here." He said turning towards her. "Why don't you tell us what you saw?" He requested.

Megumi nodded her head as she went to pick up one of Sai's fallen scrolls. "Well, Sai spoke to Orochimaru about something and went with him and Kabuto somewhere. I'm sorry but I was too far away to be able to hear anything."

"That's alright. It's basically what my clone had also told me." He said as he thought about the situation.

Sakura knew what they were implying. She shook her head, '_He didn't seem like the type of guy that would betray us.' _"Maybe he was forced to go with them."

Megumi shook her head at the theory. "No, he looked like he willingly followed them. Sai even gave something to Orochimaru to perhaps gain his trust."

They all stood thinking about the possibility of Sai going rogue when Naruto gave a small growl of frustration. "Listen, I know Sai is the biggest jerk I've ever met. But you don't really think he would just leave us like this, do you?"

"It is possible." Sakura murmured.

Naruto eyes widened at her words. "Sakura?"

"Yamato, do you know who Danzo is?"

Their captain's face grew serious at the sound of the name. "Yes. He was once a member of the Hawk Faction that once opposed the Third Hokage."

"Before I came here, Lady Tsunade had also told me that he was Sai's superior and that he didn't think to highly of the Third's legacy." Sakura added.

"So then it could be possible that Sai has his own mission. One that was entrusted to him by Danzo, some type of covert mission and one very separate to our own." He continued.

"He used us then." Megumi stated annoyed at the fact. "He stayed with us until he could find a chance to speak to Orochimaru." She said in disbelief.

"It gets worse if you can believe it." Yamato stated with a grave voice. "I think I know what Danzo is planning and what Sai may have given Orochimaru."

The wind grew louder and stronger around them as the day wore on. Megumi moved hair out of her masks view. "Well what is it?" She asked.

"I can't say for sure. But I think Danzo might be plotting the destruction of the Leaf Village."

"What are you saying?" Naruto demanded. "I get the whole conspiracy theory and all, but if that guy really hates the Third Hokage then why would he destroy the village or have anything against Grandma Tsunade?"

"Don't forget Naruto." Sakura stated. "Lady Tsunade was the Third's favorite pupil, not to mention the fact that all of the Leaf Village's infantry squads were chosen directly by her." She elaborated.

"We can get more into that once we start to pursue them." He stated as he readied to move out but turned to Megumi first. "This mission has had many twists Megumi, and now we're in very serious situation involving the Village's safety. I understand if you would leave now and return to the Mist."

Megumi smirked behind her mask. "Leave now? Right when things are going to get exciting? No, you can count me in for as long as the mission is still going." She stated with confidence.

Yamato gave her his own amused smirk. "I'm going to have to hold you to that small promise. Alright Team Kakashi, it's time to move out."

With that said, they soon began their journey through the trees in search of Sai.

_._._._._._

They jumped through the forest and its many trees dodging and weaving as quickly as their bodies would allow them. If they were lucky, they would be able to reach Sai and Orochimaru and find out what was really going on with their sudden partnership. Megumi couldn't help but think about the familiarity of it all though, running through forests, going after a team mate, Orochimaru. It was all too close to the events of a few years ago, but this time, it would end differently. '_I won't let you end up like Sasuke, Sai.'_

She was momentarily distracted as she noticed Naruto begin to lag a bit in the back, seeming to be swaying a bit. Her eyes widened as she saw him about to run into a huge branch but he quickly managed to jump over it regaining a bit of his balance.

Naruto looked up as he felt someone's stare and soon turned red as he realized Megumi had seen his mistake. In hopes of easing the embarrassment and awkwardness he felt, Naruto sent her one of his signature wide mouthed smiles.

Megumi just chuckled in reply and shook her head and continued onward in silence. It was short lived though as Naruto let out a strong yell. "Sakura!" She turned in time to see Sakura fall through the trees grabbing her arm in apparent pain and saw her get saved in time by Yamato. He placed her against a tree as Naruto and Megumi soon caught up to them.

"Sakura, what's wrong? When did you get that wound?" Naruto asked in panic.

When had she gotten that wound? '_And why doesn't she just heal it?'_ Megumi asked herself.

Sakura looked nervously up at Naruto before answering. "Uh, i-it's just from when Orochimaru attacked us. It really isn't a big thing." She stammered.

Yamato looked over her wound intently from where he was standing and knew that she wouldn't be able to heal herself. "Let's take a break." He told the group.

Megumi looked up to him in confusion. "Are you sure about that Captain? If we rest now we could lose time and ultimately lose trace of Orochimaru." She reasoned.

"I understand that, Megumi. But what you need to know is that there is a big difference between rushing and just being reckless." He shot back.

Sakura winced as she felt more pain go through her arm but tried to cover it with a smile. "She's right Captain Yamato. You can't afford to stop just because of my arm, I'll stay here."

"What are saying?" Naruto yelled. "We can't leave you behind!"

"I'm afraid Naruto is right this time Sakura. You are the only medical ninja on this team and leaving you here could be detrimental to the rest of us." Yamato reasoned. "Besides, you aloso need a break Naruto."

He growled in response. "I'm fine. Sakura is the one that's really hurt."

"So you agree we have to stay here." All Naruto could do was nod at his Captain, a bit annoyed for some reason. "Good then we can talk about our strategies as we rest."

Megumi was confused. "Strategies?"

"Yes. If we are engaged in another battle, Naruto will be my partner so we'll need to discuss how we can work together. Let's go."

She watched as Naruto followed Yamato off in a different direction but soon turned her attention back to Sakura as she tried to heal her wound. "Did Naruto do that to you?" She asked quietly.

Sakura stayed silent and for a second Megumi thought she hadn't heard her until she finally answered. "I already told you. It was from Orochimaru." She grunted out as another wave of pain swept through her.

Megumi sighed as she took off her mask and sat beside her. "You don't have to lie to me Sakura. I already know what Naruto is, I even saw it."

Her eyes widened as she listened to her speak. "But how, who…?"

"You'd be surprised how much Lady Mizukage trusts Yuki and I, especially with our history." Megumi smiled. "It's common knowledge among the Kages who the Jinchuriki are, so when she heard that we were friends with Naruto she thought it was only right that we know." She elaborated.

"So then, you also know about Gaara?" Sakura asked.

She let out a small chuckle. "Yes, but it was kind of in the open since the attack on the leaf three years ago. Still it was hard to get him to tell me himself." Megumi watched as Sakura tried to suppress her cries of pain and continued to try to heal herself.

"Don't tell him." Sakura muttered. "Please don't tell him he did this to me when he was like that." She begged.

She stayed silent for a bit just trying to sum up Sakura and how she was now. "I won't, I promise."

"Good."

A sigh of frustration left Megumi's lips as she grew tired of Sakura's attitude. "What happened to us Sakura? You used to be one my closest female friends; actually you were my only female friend. Now you try to avoid me and keep me off of missions. Why are we like this?"

Sakura grit her teeth both form pain and annoyance of the question. "I-It's because I can't take it, Ok." She took in a shuddering breath before she spoke next. "I hate that you had such a great time when Sasuke was around. I hate that he would actually smile at you. I hate that you lied to me about liking him." She murmured. Megumi just watched waiting for her to finish. "I couldn't-wouldn't understand why he would like you so much when I had tried so hard to just get a look from him."

"I'm sorry." Megumi answered.

Megumi had really thought of Sakura as one of her closest friends, and now they couldn't even look at each other. "Do you…..do you really like Sasuke?" Sakura asked. The silence between them was deafening as Megumi finally looked at Sakura, she didn't even have to answer. "I guess that's it, isn't it Megumi. We can't be friends." She finished, grabbing Sai's picture book to look through.

"Megumi! Sakura!" They looked up to see Yamato and Naruto walking back towards them. "I've just received word from my wood clone. We have a location."

Both their eyes widened at the news. '_Sasuke.' _Megumi thought. Could she keep her promise to him and not do anything to help bring him back? "Megumi, as the ANBU member of this team and trained assassin from the Mist I need you to know that you will have to take the responsibility of taking care of either Sai or Uchiha if the situation asks for it." Yamato ordered. He might not have known it, but he had just answered Megumi's question.

"Yes sir." She answered, and they were soon on their way.

_._._._._._

They came to a stop in a desert like place next to many rock formations. Yamato's clone turned towards them and looked towards the real Yamato. "This is the place. The entrance is underneath those set of rocks, I'm certain of it."

"Could it be…?" Naruto muttered, "after all this time, we've finally found him."

"At the very least, we could find some very good clues about his whereabouts." Yamato added. "Before we get ahead of ourselves though." He turned towards his clone with a held out hand and seemed to retract the wood used to create his other self. Soon all that was left was a seed in his hand. " Right. I'm going to need you to swallow this Naruto."

Naruto just looked at the seed skeptically. "Hmm, I'm not sure I want to."

He smirked at the reaction. "Don't worry, it's a ninja tool I can use to keep track of you. How do you think my clone had been able to find Sai after he was set back a bit?"

"When did you get one on him?" Megumi asked.

"Well, let's just say our small stay at the hot springs wasn't just for our team work." Yamato said mysteriously.

She didn't know what to say; her captain was full of surprises. "You already suspected him then."

"No, but Lady Tsunade did. She warned me before this mission to keep an eye on him, it's a good thing I listened to her." He soon produced another seed from his jacket pocket. "I need you to take it too, Sakura. I'm sorry to say that I don't have one for you Megumi, but I trust you won't need me to have to find you for any reason." Yamato said as he sheepishly handed out the other seed.

"It's alright, you can count on me." She replied.

He nodded towards them as Naruto and Sakura swallowed the seeds, ensuring some type of security for themselves. "Now comes the interesting part. Using my Wood-Style technique, I'll drill a hole leading to the underground hideout. Once that's complete I will jump in followed by Megumi, then Sakura, then Naruto." The moment he finished speaking, he quickly made hand signs and slammed his hand against the ground; making it crumble into a tunnel big enough for them to crawl through. "Wait for my signal." They nodded towards Yamato and waited as he disappeared into the dark abyss.

After a few seconds, they heard a loud whistle go through the tunnel and knew it was his signal. Megumi took in breath and gave a small wave to Naruto before taking a leap into the hole and falling into the darkness. She felt the wind go by her quickly but couldn't see anything at all until she felt Yamato's chakra signature and knew that she was approaching the bottom.

"Glad to see you made it alright." He greeted as Megumi landed next to him in a crouching position. They were soon joined by Sakura and Naruto as they started to crawl through the tunnel towards Orochimaru's hideout.

Megumi paused for a bit and reached into her ninja pack on her lower back for a small bag. "Is something wrong, Megumi?" Naruto asked.

She took out some pills and handed out one to each of them. "No, I just thought we might need an extra push." She answered as she swallowed the pill. "Kiba gave me these soldier pills my last birthday. I was saving them for a time like this."

"Well who would've known, the mutt does come in handy." Naruto smiled as he took the pill and quickly felt more energized.

The tunnel seemed to stretch onto oblivion as they kept on crawling; they stopped again but this time because of Yamato. "It's just as I feared." He murmured as he kneeled next to a wall. "The entire hideout must be surrounded by stone to prevent intruders from entering"

Naruto kneeled by him and readied his hands for a jutsu. "No problem, Captain. My Rasengan can take care of this in no time."

Their eyes widened at his words and Sakura quickly brought his hands down. "Wait a minute, Naruto. They'll know we're here the minute you let loose with a jutsu like that."

Megumi huffed in frustration. "What are we going to do?"

Yamato ignored them as he muttered to himself and felt along the stone wall. "There it is." He said finding a certain crack on the wall. "The more solid the stone, the less force you need on a specific spot." He mumbled. Megumi wasn't sure she understood his reasoning but was soon shocked as she saw his finger turn into a small branch that grew slowly as it dug into the stone. His idea worked as hand was returned to normal, revealing a perfect square entrance. "From this point on we're going to have to limit our chakra use, we don't want Orochimaru to sense our presence."

As Megumi went through the hole Yamato had created she could hear Naruto speaking to himself behind her. "That was so awesome."

"A successful infiltration." Sakura reported.

"Yes, now all we have to do is find Sai. Follow me." They followed Yamato and were soon running through the many corridors and hallways hoping they wouldn't come face to face with the enemy. Suddenly he stopped in front of a certain door.

"Is this it, Captain Yamato?" Sakura asked.

"It could be." He answered as his finger turned into a wood key. As the lock turned and the door slowly opened, Megumi couldn't help but hold her breath at what they might find.

**AN:**

**Reviews and constructive criticism are always welcomed.**

**-Michelle **


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The team waited with baited breath as they heard the door open and watched as Yamato entered before them to make sure it was safe. "I had a hunch you'd be here." He said. The rest of them entered to see Sai in the room looking through his pack on a desk.

His small frown was soon gone and replaced with his artificial smile as he looked at all of them. "So you found me. I'd expected no less from two ANBU Black Ops." Megumi's eyes quickly flashed towards Yamato. '_ANBU? Could he really…?_'

"Cut the small talk, Sai." Yamato demanded.

Naruto growled as Sai continued to smile and soon grabbed him from the front of his shirt to bring him closer. "Spill it you jerk! What made you betray your team like that?"

He kept smiling, unfazed by the threat dealt towards him. "It'd be smart not to start a commotion right now, things could get quite messy."

"Why you, I'll kick your-"

"Naruto." Sakura cut in with a glare.

Megumi stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder, silently telling him to calm down and to back off for a bit. He pushed Sai back in a huff as he went back to his spot beside Yamato. "You should know better than anyone what my responsibilities include as a ninja my rank." She coldly stated.

"Yes. You have to kill me, or at the very least, bring me back to the village incapacitated."

"That's right. I also have to make sure to gain as much information from the situation as I can, so tell us everything." Megumi explained calmly.

He sighed at her words and held out his hands beside himself in defeat. "What does it matter? You found me which makes this mission a complete failure."

Sakura approached besides Megumi and held out his picture book in his direction. "Here, Sai. It's yours isn't it?" He took it slowly waiting for her to continue. "We know you were under orders from Danzo to become his and Orochimaru's go between." She stated. "So just spit it out, what are they planning?"

He continued to stay silent as he stared at his book, not noticing that Yamato had approached him. "Orochimaru is easy to figure out; he wants another chance to destroy the village right?" He let out an uncharacteristic growl as he started to lose his patience. "Just tell us Sai! It might go easier on you this way."

"I guess I really have no choice." His smile fell as he grew more serious. "You're right. My mission was to gain Orochimaru's trust and orchestrate the destruction of the village. But it also included me having to gain intelligence about him to later use against him."

Sakura shook her head at his plan. "So let me get this straight. You're going to try and get information about him just in case you have to get rid of him?" She said in disbelief. "That's a suicide mission!"

"If things go as planned, then we have no reason to think Orochimaru will betray us." He smiled. "But this way, we always make sure we have the upper hand." He elaborated. "As long as the mission is a success, my life has no importance."

They stared at him with their own blank faces, not wanting to show any sympathy for him. Megumi was lucky she had been wearing her mask or they would have noticed the pity and sadness she felt for him. Yamato's glare intensified as he heard Sai though. "Don't you feel any remorse for what you're planning?"

"No. I follow orders." He smiled.

Megumi felt a tug in her stomach at his words. _'This…I used to be this way.'_ She shivered as she looked at her hands. '_I still am.'_ "How could you do it, Sai? Why-"

"One more thing." Sai interrupted. "Sai is just a made up name I was given for this mission, I am nobody. Merely a tool meant for Lord Danzo."

The words cut deeper into Megumi's mind as memories filled her head. She clutched fistfuls of her hair and groaned in pain as she thought back to all the innocent people she had slain with zero remorse in the hopes of pleasing Zabuza. "You-y-you…" She stammered.

"Megumi! Are you alright?" Naruto fussed as he gripped her shoulders and tried to stand her upright.

"You," She tried again. "They trained you in the way of the Village of the Bloody Mist, didn't they?" She growled behind her mask. Naruto and Sakura stiffened at the mention of the name as they remembered their own experiences there. "Yamato informed us on the way here that you were part of the ANBU Foundation. They trained you in that style specifically to reduce your emotions." Megumi continued.

"That's right. Of course someone like you should know perfectly well what that training includes." He chuckled as he turned to her direction. "Although, Zabuza must have failed in training you. From what I've seen, you are most likely the worst at hiding your emotions." He insulted. "It's the reason you try to always keep your mask on."

"That's enough!" Yamato demanded. "Sai, from this point on you are going to be our prisoner for betraying your team and village." Sai stood motionless, numb to his fate as he felt Yamato's Wood Style-Jutsu bind him securely. As they were walking out of the cell towards the exit they could see Yamato stiffen out of the corner of their eyes.

Naruto stepped closer to him checking if he needed support. "Captain Yamato, are you alright?"

"We have to run." He muttered.

Megumi wasn't sure about what he had said. "What?"

"Run." He demanded. As they began running they soon felt what had disturbed their Captain. Someone was walking towards them.

_._._._._._

The group soon found themselves in a safe distance away from Orochimaru's hideout behind a large rock formation. Sai sat on the ground still held captive by Yamato's wood jutsu waiting to hear his fate. "I'm sorry Sai but I'm going to have to leave my clone behind to stand watch over you." Yamato explained.

He said nothing and continued to stare at the ground seemingly ignoring them. Megumi couldn't believe they were giving him even this much leeway, but if she had learned something from being a ninja of a village, it was to always try to trust the higher-ups. '_Even if I don't agree with them.'_ She took off her mask and took in a breath of fresh air. "Well, now what do we do?"

Naruto punched his fist into his palm as a fire grew in his eyes. "The way I see it, I say we're back to square one. We save Sasuke."

"I wouldn't bother if I was you." Sai murmered, they all looked at him waiting for what would come next. "You see, I actually met Sasuke." They all gasped at his admission. "And, well to put it quite frankly, Sasuke had said that he doesn't care about you, he doesn't want to go back." Megumi looked towards Naruto. She knew that if she had felt hurt from Sai's comment, Naruto would feel worse.

"Why save someone who doesn't respect you?" Sai questioned. "Why would you even try to save someone who would kill you without a single thought? I don't get it, no one ordered you to do it."

Megumi readied herself for the possibility of Naruto attacking Sai but was surprised to see him merely smile at him. "It's funny Sai." Naruto started. "I used to hate Sasuke, every day I saw him I just wanted to beat him to a pulp." He chuckled. "None of us had family but that still didn't change the fact that we were opposites or bring us closer. But I have to admit, it was fun being around the guy." He turned towards the direction he thought would be there next destination as he spoke. "I don't care what Orochimaru does to me, I'll beat him and take back my best friend."

"Well what are we waiting for?" As Megumi approached Naruto, they all quickly reacted and jumped back in time to avoid a barrage of kunai landing on the ground where they stood. They slid along the ground realizing that the kunais kept coming. Megumi was forced to keep jumping until they were all separated from each other by a great distance. She looked up just as Kabuto landed in front of Sai.

"My my, I thought we'd given you people the slip." Kabuto smirked as he adjusted his glasses.

Sakura growled as she stood upright. "You just don't quit do you?"

He ignored them and turned towards Sai. "It appears they have you captive. We're going to have to do something about that." As he spoke he casually moved a bit to the left leaving one of Naruto's clones to fall to the ground destroying itself with the Rasengan in its hand.

Naruto still held the clone jutsu sign as he glared at Kabuto. "Stay out of this you bastard!"

He chuckled at the small threat. "How pathetic. You do know that this is completely pointless."

"It may be pointless, but that doesn't mean we won't try!" Quickly, Naruto created four more clones while at the same time Megumi splashed water from her water bottle allowing her to create her own water clones to follow Naruto's simultaneously. They went after Kabuto but it only led to one of Naruto's punches being redirected towards Megumi's own punch causing them to disappear in smoke and water. The next attempt only led to Megumi's leg getting caught in an attempt to kick him and get spun in the air taking down two other Naruto clones and leading to the same result.

"That's not what I'm talking about, Naruto." Kabuto stated. As a final attack on the last of Naruto and Megumi's clones, he used his chakra blade to quickly rid himself of them but was then forced to jump in the air with Sai to avoid Yamato's own attacks. He dodged and weaved through the growing branches and bark until he finally saw stable ground atop a stone formation. '_Damn it!' _Sakura was fast approaching as she ran up a wood path and pulled her arm back putting enough force and chakra to surely kill him, but at the last second he was able to pull Sai with him and jump towards the ground to avoid her stone crushing fist. "Four against one hardly seems fair." He mocked as he adjusted his glasses again. He activated his chakra blade and did away with Sai's bindings. "I still trust you Sai, and I'm going to need all the help I can get."

Sakura glared from her spot but quickly flinched as the wound on her arm pulsated in pain again. '_What's going on? Why is it still hurting?" _

Kabuto chuckled again at the reaction but put his attention back on Naruto. "What I meant was that your efforts are wasted. You haven't changed at all." He glared at the thought of Naruto even trying to "rescue" Sasuke. "He isn't the same boy you once knew."

The glare they had all given him soon morphed into one of shock and confusion as Kabuto was quickly incapacitated by Sai. "Wha?" Megumi asked.

Sai added more pressure to Kabuto's twisted arm. "I want to see what kind of bond you seem to hold with Sasuke." He said stoically. "I want to see how strong it really is in action." They all smiled realizing that Sai had somewhat returned to their team. It unknowingly gave them a bit of hope about Sasuke.

_._._._._._

She ran down the corridor opening doors and shutting them in disappointment. _'Where could he be?'_ The plan was clear when they had re-entered the hideout; split up and find Sasuke. Since the team was already uneven she now found herself alone running looking for what felt like a ghost. Megumi sighed as the next door she opened turned up empty. "Big surprise…" she muttered.

Her legs ached as she kept on running. She couldn't afford to stop now, not when she felt so close to him now. "Ahh!" She yelled as the walls started to shake as if something had exploded not too far away. Unsheathing her katana, she sprinted down the hallways following the sudden burst of chakra that filled the air momentarily forgetting her original plan.

It felt like she had been running for hours but she kept going. The light at the end of the hallway was getting brighter and closer and she could distinctly make out the silhouettes of both Sai and Sakura. '_What's happening?'_ She took in a breath of fresh air despite having her mask on as she reached the light and realized that the explosion had broken through the ground above them. "Sakura!" She called out with worry as she realized she wasn't looking away from somewhere as if in shock. Naruto suddenly appeared beside her from another hallway trying to focus on what Sakura was staring at. "Naruto? Help me please." She begged as he soon froze too.

"S-Sasuke." Sakura shuddered.

Megumi quickly turned with her katana still in her grip as she tried to look at the figure with a glare. '_What kind of sick joke is this? It can't be this simple!'_ Her eyes widened once she focused on the figure above them. "You." She breathed.

He tilted his in confusion as he looked at Megumi, it wasn't surprising though seeing as she was still in her full ANBU uniform. "Well, Naruto." He drawled. "I assume Kakashi is here too, to complete out reunion."

She shivered at the cold sound of his voice but soon stiffened as Yamato's voice surrounded them. "Unfortunately, he couldn't be here so I'm here in his place." He smiled. "Team Kakashi is here to escort you back to the Leaf Village."

"Team Kakashi." He repeated. "So then this must be my replacement." Sasuke said as his eyes trailed towards Sai. "I already thought the team had a weakling, he even said something about protecting the bond between Naruto and I." They stared at him still in shock that he was there. "Obviously I haven't completely severed all of my ties to you." He said as he shut his eyes. "We're going to have to fix that. And you." His eyes snapped towards Megumi with his Sharingan at full power. "You…"

In a second he sent a kunai soaring through the air and hit Megumi directly on the forehead surprising all of those around her. The kunai soon started a reaction as the cracks grew and spread throughout the mask, soon breaking and letting it fall. As the pieces fell, the more her face was revealed showing a face filled with fright. She gasped as a small trickle of blood went down her face. "Wha-?"

"I knew it had to be you Megumi." He stated. "I just never thought you would allow yourself to be weighed down by a village and become an ANBU. I guess you were more pathetic than I thought."

**AN:**

**Hey, long time no see. Sorry I took forever to update, life has a funny way of hitting you in the face when things seem to get easy. So I was watching the new Walking Dead episode when I finally finished this chapter, who knows maybe it inspired me to finally get a good ending to it. **

**Thanks to all the readers and you guys that kept reviewing even though there wasn't anything coming, it was really nice. I really hope I can see you guys in this section next Saturday with a new chapter.**

**-Michelle Rabbit.**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

They all looked at him with varying emotions on their faces as Sasuke stared back.

"You're all so clueless." He coldly said. "Why can't you understand that I don't want any ties with you people? I have a different bond now, one with my brother. A bond of hatred." He closed his eyes as if reminiscing about something. "It's not that I couldn't break my bond with you, Naruto. It's rather that I wouldn't allow myself to merely do as my brother once did."

Naruto grit his teeth in annoyance. "What are you even talking about?"

"I don't owe you any explanation." He glared. "Only know that I spared your life on a whim, nothing more." In a flash, Sasuke appeared before Naruto with an arm lazily resting across his shoulders, seeming to be lightly resting. "Come to think of it, didn't you always want to be Hokage? All that time chasing after me could have been time better spent training, wouldn't you agree, Naruto?" He unsheathed his katana from behind him, "This time, my whim is telling me to finish what I started."

Naruto looked forward with a hard expression and no intention to move. "How could I ever hope to become Hokage if I can't even save a friend? Wouldn't you agree, Sasuke?"

He didn't answer as he quickly brought down his blade towards Naruto's back. Sakura gasped in horror, "Sasuke!" The sounds of two blades clashing filled the air as Megumi was able to barely block Sasuke's attack with her own. It was difficult for her though as she was crouched on the ground with her blade facing upwards trying to maintain a balance with Sasuke's grip of his sword.

'_Using an offensive move to block his own was the only thing I could think of, but now I'm at the disadvantage.'_ Megumi glared up at him as the blood on her forehead continued to trickle down slowly. "You're going to have to do better than that Sasuke." She taunted.

"Hmph. I remember that one of the last things you told me was something along the lines of you not getting involved in my supposed 'return' to the village" He said as he tried to bring more weight down on her.

She huffed in amusement. "I'm not trying to bring you back to the village; I'm merely protecting my friend from a big jerk."

He smirked. "Protecting a friend? We'll see." His eyes flashed with the Sharingan as he saw Yamato prepare an attack and quickly grabbed onto Naruto while maintaining his position with Megumi. "Chidori Stream!" Lighting coursed through his hands directly affecting Naruto while at the same time using their swords as conductors to affect Megumi and still being able to block Yamato's Wood Style attack and Sai's unexpected attack from behind.

Naruto and Megumi both yelled in pain as the lighting forced them back onto the ground shaking in pain from the aftershocks. Sakura watched with an unreadable face. '_The Chidori is racing through his entire body.'_ Her fists tightened as they filled with chakra. She sprinted towards Sasuke with her fist raised, not realizing that Sasuke was not going to hold back because of her relationship with him. His sword filled with chakra that quickly became more lighting that would not doubt kill her with a single swipe. As it was about to connect with her, Megumi appeared in front of the blade with a defensive block. Her eyes, widened as she saw her blade seem to go through his own.

' _What?' _She cried out in pain as the blade ran through her chest and coursed lighting into her body and pinned her to a stone behind her. Sasuke smirked as he thrust his sword harder into to her chest, causing to her to cry out even harder. "I think you are all under the impression that I won't kill you." He stared at Megumi indifferently as blood seeped out of her mouth as she bit it to stop the pain. "You made a mistake, Megumi. My snake blade ability is a bit of a special one, nothing can block it." She spit out some blood she had in her mouth onto his sword in anger. "You're more tenacious than I remembered, I don't like it. Killing you will definitely make me stronger."

Sasuke yanked his blade out of her as he barely dodged a solid branch appear in front of him and was soon surrounded in a prison made of wood. It was no match for his power though as he broke through it and jumped back to his original spot at the top of the crater. Yamato glared in his direction with his hands clasped together in a hand sign.

"Sasuke!" Naruto yelled from his spot on the ground. "Don't you get it?" He continued in frustration as his body still felt the electricity go through it. "Orochimaru is using you. He only wants your body, he's going to kill you!"

He didn't react as he looked at the exhausted and shocked faces of his opponents. "No, Naruto. You don't get it." He sighed. "The truth is I'm not even close to strong enough to defeat Itachi. And if getting that strength means I have to give my life to Orochimaru, I would do it a thousand times over."

Yamato stood at his full height as he glared at Sasuke. "I'm sorry, Naruto. I can no longer hold back. We have to bring back Sasuke to the village, dead or alive."

Naruto struggled to get up. "What do you plan on doing?"

"Whatever I can." He answered.

Sasuke chuckled. "You won't even get a chance." He stabbed his katana onto the ground and prepared himself for a jutsu. His body gained more chakra as it surrounded him and he raised his hand as if he was going to perform a summoning. "It's over."

A hand stopped him at the last moment though and saved them. Sasuke glared at Orochimaru, questioning with his eyes. "I wouldn't bother with that jutsu, not now anyway." He hissed.

"Let go." Sasuke answered curtly.

"Now, now." Kabuto appeared beside him with an unamused face. "I won't tell you again, watch your tone with lord Orochimaru."

"Give me one reason why I should stop." Sasuke threatened.

"Do I have to remind you that the Akatsuki is on the move again?" Sasuke merely glared. "We want the Leaf Village to get rid of them. As many as they can." Kabuto explained. "If they're kept alive, they may get in the way of your precious revenge."

His hand was still in Orochimaru's grasp as he glared at Kabuto. "That's a pitiful excuse."

"But it's valid. If it helps your chances in achieving your goal, then why not take it?"

Orochimaru released Sasuke's arm as he felt it go limp. "We're leaving." He ordered.

Sasuke stared below him at Naruto as if weighing his options before shutting his eyes and sighing in annoyance. "Fine, but I'm taking a souvenir." In a blink of the eye, Sasuke had somehow managed to grab Megumi and travel back to his spot cradling her.

'_H-how?'_ She looked at him with wide eyes in confusion. Megumi cringed as she felt her chest wound throb and started to feel the effects of her blood lose. "Yo-you monst…" She gasped as he tightened his hold on her and irritated her wound further.

"Fine, just as long as we can go." Orochimaru replied.

The last thing she saw was Naruto run towards her in the crater yelling for her, and the fire that surrounded her, and then nothing.

_._._._._._

Her vision was blurred as she opened her eyes to a dark space. Megumi turned her head to the side and was met with the sight of the soft flickering lights of candles lighting the strange room. "Wha-?" Her voice cracked as she felt pain cut through her chest.

"Don't move, I'm still working." She quickly sat up on the bed blushing as she realized she was only in a sheet.

She turned towards the voice while clutching the sheet to her chest. "Sasuke!" She gasped.

"I said don't move." He replied as he forced back onto the bed. He picked up the needle that had fallen from his grasp when she moved and continued with his work. "Kabuto refuses to heal you with his jutsu so now I have to do it the old fashioned way."

Megumi just stared up at him in shock. "Why are you doing this?"

"I don't want you to bleed to death after bringing you here." He said simply.

It was strange for her to hear him speak so much, time might have changed him more than she anticipated. "But why do you want me alive?"

Sasuke took a pair of scissors beside him and cut the extra thread, finishing her stitches. "You're going to help me achieve my goal."

She scoffed at his words as she sat up again and looked around for her uniform. "Why would I agree to that?"

He shoved her back onto the bed as he pressed onto her stitches making her cry out in pain. "I don't think I gave you a choice in this, Megumi." He hissed from above her. She shuddered as she felt his eyes travel down her body causing her to clutch at the fabric closer up her neck. "You're in a very bad position, Megumi. In more than a couple of ways." He threatened.

Megumi's eyes flashed with anger. How could someone she had considered her closest friend change so much? "You should have killed me when you had the chance."

"Hmph, you can't hurt me." He said as he slowly stood from above her. "You've had every opportunity to since you woke up." He smirked at her deepened glare. "Besides, I need you in order to get to Itachi."

Sasuke threw a bundle towards her that she unraveled to reveal her ANBU uniform. "Oh…" He walked towards the door when Megumi's voice stopped him. "If I help you, will you go back to the Leaf Village?"

He sighed in annoyance as he turned towards her. "I thought you weren't going to interfere." She stared with an unwavering gaze. "You never know, I just might." He turned towards a drawer besides the door and took out a porcelain mask resembling a Leaf Village ANBU mask inspired by a cat. "Before I forget, you'll be wearing this whenever we're in public."

"I'd like my old mask, the one from the Mist Village." She argued.

"Well you can go back and get the pieces if you want; besides the point is for people not to know that you're from the Mist." He said as he threw it onto her lap.

She was still confused though. "Is Orochimaru really going to let you go? Wouldn't that be a risk for him?"

"He won't have anything to say when I'm done." He said cryptically as he shot the door behind him.

She watched the closed door for a little while longer before looking down at her new mask. It was strange, her last mask was almost like her own face, changing it would just feel different overall. As she slowly got dressed she thought about her new role. '_I agreed to help him in a way. Does that make me a missing ninja?'_ Megumi shook her head; she couldn't afford to think in such a way at that moment. If it raised the chance of bringing Sasuke home, then why shouldn't she take it? By the way things sounded, at least Orochimaru would be out of the picture.

_._._._._._

"What do you mean Megumi was taken!?" Yuki yelled from his spot beside the Fifth Hokage. Yamato stood silent waiting for Tsunade to speak and ignoring Yuki.

Naruto looked up at his friends glaring face with a sad frown. "I'm sorry, Yuki. Sasuke was just too fast an-"

"How did she get hurt in the first place?" He continued. "By the sound of things more than one of you had the chance to protect her!" His face was red and his eyes stung as he realized that his closest comrade and closest thing to family was now trapped in unknown enemy territory. He clutched his forehead at the thought.

"Yuki." Tsunade started. "I understand that you feel helpless right now." She said somberly. "We will do what we can along with the Hidden Mist Village to make sure she is brought back safely."

"How can you say that?" He said brokenly. "You can't even pinpoint their location without stumbling onto it by accident." Yuki walked towards the door while placing his mask on his face to hide what he was feeling.

"Yuki." Naruto called but was ignored.

"Don't worry about him, Naruto." Shizune said with Ton Ton oinking in agreement. "I'm sure Megumi will be fine and Yuki will do what he can to help find Sasuke."

Sai watched them all in curiosity. They all seemed worried for someone that wasn't even from the same village, he wanted to know more.

"Sakura, tell me about Megumi's wounds before she was taken. Should we believe she's in danger?" Tsunade asked.

Sakura grit her teeth remembering that Megumi had gotten hurt because of her. "She received a major stab wound to the chest that was further damaging with an electric charge." She spoke robotically. _'It should have been me that was hurt. What's the point of training if I still get protected?'_

The Hokage sighed looking at the sad and disappointed faces in front of her. "Well, just so you know, you're mission has failed. Please stand by in your homes for any news on your next mission."

"Yes ma'am."

Naruto walked alongside Sai and Sakura thinking about the day's events. He had finally found Sasuke, but in doing so he lost another friend. '_I promise I'll bring them both back alive. Believe it.'_

**AN: **

**Long time no see. Sorry, but I was in a bit of a writer's rut and almost didn't see the light at the end of the tunnel but I'm back. Needless to say, the Naruto Generations game really breathed some life back into me.**

**Please rate and review, I love reading what you have to write so go review. (please)**

**-Michelle Rabbit**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"Gaara, why did you become Kazekage?"

"Because I knew that it was my purpose."

"How did you know that it was your purpose?"

"Naruto showed me."

Megumi turned her head and looked at Gaara lying on the roof beside her with a smile. "You must be so happy now that you know what to do."

He turned towards her with a small smile on his face. "You could say that, it definitely keeps me busier." She chuckled at his joke, it wasn't often he would try to make her laugh.

"Do you think I could ever be Mizukage?" The wind whistled by them as Gaara paused in his thoughts.

"Perhaps." He said. "It would be nice to lead the lands along with you and Naruto, if you were to become Kages."

"Hmm…" She thoughtfully looked at the clouds flowing above the Sand Village as the day crept by slowly lulling her to sleep. "Gaara."

"What is it?" He asked, looking at her closed eyes.

"Promise me you'll never leave me alone, like he did." Gaara cringed at the hint towards Sasuke, even after two years she still felt sadness from his departure. In a sudden move of impulse, he edged his way closer to Megumi and enveloped her in a soft embrace.

"You know that I wouldn't leave you." He murmured.

Megumi's eyes had widened in shock of his strange move, before she nuzzled her face into his neck sighing with content. '_I never realized how much taller he is now.' _She thought as she felt completely covered by him.

'_Gaara…'_

_._._._._._

"…Gaara."

Megumi shot up from where she was lying with a loud gasp as she was drenched in cold water. With eyes darting throughout the room, she spotted Sasuke staring at her with a blank stare and a dripping bucket in his hands. "Finally awake, I see."

She growled at his mocking tone before thinking about her dream. '_No, it was a memory.'_ Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she gave Sasuke a piercing glare. "Why did you throw water over me?!" She demanded.

His smirk only added fuel to the burning rage she felt. "You kept muttering that Jinchuriki's name, I thought I'd do you a favor and wake you up from that nightmare. Besides, seeing as though you're from the Mist Village, I thought you would appreciate the water."

"It wasn't a nightmare! And don't call Gaara that, he has a name" She blushed in anger.

His face contorted to a hard stare. "That will be the last time you mention his name in front of me. I don't need any more reminders of my past." He growled as he began to fill a backpack with Megumi's supplies. "Get ready, we'll be leaving in soon."

"Where are we going?" She asked as she stood in her ANBU under clothes.

Sasuke opened his mouth to answer when the sound of knocking filled the room. "Grr." He growled as he threw the bag away from sight and answered the door. "I thought I told you never to come here." He sneered.

Kabuto held his hands up in surrender as he smirked back at Sasuke. "Now now, I'm just here to give a message from Lord Orochimaru."

"Well get on with it. What does he want?"

His smirk grew. "Lord Orochimaru would like to see a demonstration of your strength in a sparring match."

Sasuke's eyes furrowed in confusion "Why couldn't he just wait until training to spar with me?"

"Because he doesn't want to spar with you. He wishes to see you go up against your so called souvenir." Kabuto chuckled.

Megumi looked up in shock as she walked behind Sasuke. '_What do I do now?'_ She thought in distress. Sasuke glared at Kabuto. "Tell him we'll be there soon." Without expecting an answer, he shut the door and locked it.

"Sasuke, are we going to fight?" Megumi asked as she adjusted her new ANBU armor. '_I don't even want to know where Sasuke got it from.'_

He shut his eyes in annoyance. "We have no choice; my plans are going to have to be moved around though." He murmured. "Let's go, and make sure you don't hold back."

Megumi gasped as her katana was thrown in her direction. "Don't hold back?" She asked as she stared at her blade.

They walked along the corridors in silence not knowing what Orochimaru would do next. "Knowing him, he'll want us to fight until you're dead."

Megumi looked up sharply with wide eyes. "But why would he want us in a death match? Why would he risk your life like tha-"

"Didn't you hear me?! I said until _you_ are dead, this is a death match for you." He hissed. "We're just going to have to find a way around it."

As they neared Orochimaru in the training room, Megumi grew nervous. What would happen? It was a question that haunted them all. Would Sasuke really kill her? Or would Megumi somehow manage to escape with her life?

Orochimaru shivered in anticipation, licking his lips with his snake like tongue. '_This should be exciting.'_ His smile grew once he witnessed Sasuke's menacing glare pointed in his direction. "Sasuke…" He cooed. "What's the matter? You don't seem too pleased with the current arrangements."

"Quit the games and get on with it."

He chuckled at his student. "Ever impatient, aren't we Sasuke? Go on and spar, I'll tell you when to stop. Oh, and no jutsu this time."

Sasuke sighed in impatience before moving to one end of the room, facing Megumi. She looked at him in confusion before turning towards Orochimaru with a questioning look. It proved to be a fatal mistake as Sasuke suddenly lunged at her with his blade, cutting into her shoulder before she dodged onto the other side of the room. Placing her hand onto the wound, she saw that it was covered in blood. "So this is how it is…" She muttered.

Grabbing her own katana, she watched Sasuke for his next move. Her eyes widened and as she turned in a flurry to barely block Sasuke's blade from behind. Her eyebrows furrowed not knowing how he had been able to move so quickly behind her until she noticed his eyes. The Sharingan was glaring down at her, she placed more force onto her blade and was able to push him away far enough to jump away to safety.

'_I can't keep jumping away. I guess I'll just have to use my Kekkei Genkai.'_ She sighed in annoyance as she gained a new look at Sasuke. Her breath hitched as she was able to see him move at a normal speed, as his own speed in reality had long surpassed even that of Lee's taijutsu. She went after him with many swipes of her blade but none ever hit her target. As hard as she tried, none of what she did would do damage. As their blades connected once again, she took the opportunity to kick Sasuke's foot to get him off balance. Thinking she had got him as he fell, Megumi didn't realize that at the last second, he had actually let himself fall in order to dodge her hit.

As the ground grew nearer, Sasuke landed on his hand and twisted his body in order to kick Megumi onto the ground. She used the momentum as she slid and threw as many kunai and shuriken in his direction. He blocked them all as expected but the move granted her enough time to gather herself into a defensive position.

They were about to go after each other again when a series of coughs interrupted them. "Lord Orochimaru!" yelled Kabuto as he ran to his master's side. "You have to rest; your condition is getting worse."

Orochimaru continued coughing as he glared at Kabuto and pushed him aside. "Get away from me!" He stood from his seat and left the room without another word, Kabuto following closely.

Megumi breathed a sigh of relief now that she didn't have to fight anymore. It turned into a shriek of pain as she fell to her knees, grabbing her eyes. They throbbed and pulsed but she didn't know what to do. "What's happening?!" She groaned. Everything went silent as the pain suddenly disappeared making her notice that she had somehow fallen to her side. Her breaths pushed the hair that had fallen in front of her face as she saw feet come into her sight.

Sasuke kneeled beside her and turned her face towards him, looking into her eyes with his Sharingan. "So this is how your Kekkei Genkai advances in power. How strange…" He said as he stared into her dark brown eyes. She couldn't move as she suddenly felt exhausted. "Soon you'll be able to do the things Haku could do so effortlessly."

"How…how do you know this?" She whimpered. He picked her up and started walking towards her room.

"I did my research, your Kekkei Genkai is very strange by the way. You can slow down an enemy's movement to an extent, but the interesting part is that it's an Ice Release technique." He explained.

She pushed him away as her energy came back to her but he only strengthened his hold on her. "That still doesn't explain how you know all of this." Once inside the room, locked and secure, Sasuke dropped Megumi onto the bed and turned back to the backpack he had thrown before and began packing again. "Why are you packing for me?"

"We have to be ready to leave." He curtly replied.

Her eyes sharply looked towards him. "Leave?"

"Yes. Now I need you to listen to me right now." He told her. "When I come back you need to be ready to leave immediately." He started towards the door when Megumi's hand caught his arm.

"What are you going to do?" She asked in worry. He looked into her eyes in silence before he shook off her hand and left the room.

_._._._._._

It had been two hours since Sasuke had left and in that time Megumi had found a few mouse holes, looked through her backpack to see what Sasuke had packed, and found out that her Kekkei Genkai, when activated, now made her breath come out as tufts of air as if she were in a cold place. '_It must be the Ice Release Sasuke talked about it's affecting my body now._' After that, she laid on her bed thinking about nothing, and staring at the strange patterns on the wall.

The door suddenly opened revealing the smirking face of Sasuke. "C'mon, we have to go now." He spoke calmly. Megumi got up and made sure she had her katana, mask, and backpack before following him out the door.

"Where are we going and what did you do?" She asked.

"I took care of Orochimaru." He said simply. "As for where we're going…"He continued. "We're going to see an acquaintance of mine."

Megumi and Sasuke walked into a lab filled with tanks containing water inside them. "This water has so much Chakra flowing through it." She said as she reached for a tank in the center of the room. "What is it Sasuke?"

He placed a hand on her shoulder and pushed her behind him as he reached for his blade. "More like 'who is it', stand back Megumi."

"So it's you, I knew you would come." A voice spoke from the tank. Megumi's eyes widened in shock but Sasuke maintained his unemotional face as he listened. "You being here. It must mean you killed Orochimaru."

"That's right." Sasuke drawled. "But enough about that, let's get you out of there." With that said Sasuke drew his blade and cut the tank open, spilling the water onto the ground behind him.

"Ah…" The voice sighed. Suddenly a body started to appear from the water; first a head, then shoulders, a toned stomach, and then…Megumi couldn't see anymore as Sasuke suddenly placed his hand over her eyes and pulled her away from the body. "Free at last. Thanks, Sasuke."

"Suigetsu, you are the first. Come with me." Sasuke said.

Suigetsu sighed as he pulled himself completely out of the water. "The first huh. Who are the others?"

"Jugo of the Northern Hideout and Karin of the Southern Hideout."

"You sure about that?" Suigetsu said.

"What's the matter?"

"Oh nothing. I just can't stand those two. I understand why you chose me Sasuke, but those two? I'm starting to wonder."

Megumi only heard them as Sasuke maintained his hand over her eyes. "Sasuke?" She mewled as she had no idea what was happening around her.

"Oh, you already have someone with you. And here I thought I was your first, Sasuke." Suigetsu snickered. "Why don't you let her see? I'm sure she would enjoy the view." He continued.

"Do you ever shut up?" Sasuke growled as he glared at Suigetsu. "Get dressed we're leaving." He turned towards the door and finally allowed Megumi her sight.

"Ordering me around like some kind of big shot huh." Suigetsu laughed again behind them before water hitting the ground was heard. They both stopped walking as he appeared behind them. "I think it's time we clarify our relationship here, Sasuke. Kay?" He said with a finger pointed at Sasuke's head. "You were the one to come back to rescue me, you made that decision alone. I never said I would follow you if you came back for me." His voice grew more serious as he went on. "As for Orochimaru, just because you killed him doesn't mean you're any better than me, you just had more chances." They continued staring at each other, not willing to be the first to look away. "Gotcha! But I am free now, so I get to do whatever I want." He said as he left.

Megumi let out a breath of relief. She hadn't seen what Suigetsu looked like, he could have done anything. Sasuke sighed in annoyance. "Well that's too bad."

_._._._._._

They walked silently along the forest road, heading towards the Southern Hideout when they came upon a large pond, with Suigetsu swimming in it. Megumi couldn't help but look twice at him from behind her mask. He seemed so familiar to her.

"Hey Sasuke, I wanted to ask. It was your team wasn't it? You guys were the ones that brought down my predecessor Zabuza Momochi."

Megumi's head snapped towards Suigetsu's swimming form as her eyes filled with recognition. "Suigetsu!" She called out to him.

He stopped swimming as he looked towards Megumi in confusion. "Hmm, me?" He pointed at himself.

She gasped as it all came back to her. "You're Suigetsu Hozuki."

"Yeah…can you tell me what's going on now?"

Her eyes misted over a bit as memories filled her mind. "Don't you remember me?" She asked as she took off her mask. "It's me, Megumi."

"Oh, little Meg." He said as recognition filled his own eyes. "I haven't seen you since you were a little girl when Zabuza brought you along. Now look at you all grown up." He said. "Gotta say the years have been very good to you." He added as he looked her over. "Hey, mind telling me where Zabuza's sword is?"

She nodded eagerly as she approached him. "Yuki and I made sure to leave it with Zabuza and Haku's grave."

"Well what do you know, Yuki is around here too. Hey why don't you ditch Sasuke here and come with me to get the word. I'm sure we can get Yuki and be like the old team again." He tempted. Megumi smiled at the prospect, not thinking before Sasuke suddenly blocked her path.

"How about we show you where the blade is and you join my team." Sasuke offered.

Suigetsu deflated visibly. "No fun…Fine." He sighed. "If you help me find the sword, I might consider joining your team…"

**AN: Hello all. Sorry for the absence, but in return I made a longer chapter; I think. Anyway, I was gone this time because I started a new YouTube Channel two months ago and was working on getting it to my liking, now I just have to play the waiting game. Like fishing… **

**So I hope you like this chapter, Suigetsu is now in here which I've been waiting for since I did **_**Maiden of the Mist **_**because I knew since then that they would be related somehow. Thanks to all you guys for reading and reviewing; it makes me feel special in a way and I love reading your words. In other news I made a New Year's Resolution to keep with my personal deadlines now whether it is writing or any other project I make for myself.**

**I would love to keep reading your words so please Review.**

**-Michelle Rabbit**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

He hadn't felt this kind of annoyance in a very long time. It wasn't as if anything was being done to him though, it was just annoying. Why couldn't Suigetsu understand the meaning behind his glare? He wanted him to stay quiet; at least for a few minutes. Then there was Megumi, she didn't even know she was annoying him as she spoke with Suigetsu, but in a way, it made things worse. They were speaking about their past, what had happened when they were separated, and what they were now doing. It was like an inside joke between two people that you had no hope of understanding.

Sasuke didn't even want to understand what had transpired between them anyway. They were like two lost siblings that had found each other again. They wouldn't stop talking. Suigetsu wouldn't stop talking. It was enough to make him go insane, but he still managed to maintain his calm and cold exterior that Uchiha's were known for. But it was aggravating and he didn't know why. It was just Suigetsu speaking to Megumi, nothing more. '_Then again…'_ He thought. "Suiegetsu."

Suigetsu looked up from Megumi as he was interrupted in telling her a joke. "Yeah, what is it Sasuke?" He said in annoyance.

"Stop talking, at least until we get to the Land of Waves." Sasuke stated.

"Hmm… you really are no fun." Suigetsu muttered as he turned his attention back to Megumi. "How could you stand being around him?" She just laughed quietly at his question, not wanting to get on Sasuke's bad side.

They walked quietly for a while as they reached the start of bridge. Sasuke stopped ahead of Suigetsu and Megumi as he read the sign and seemed to reminisce about something. Suigetsu quickly ruined the moment by stepping up next to him. "The Great Naruto Bridge? Wow, what a weird name." He drank from his water bottle before he spoke next. "Say did Master Zabuza put up a good fight?"

Sasuke stayed silent as he still stared at the sign. Megumi looked at him in confusion before deciding to speak for him. "I like to think so." Megumi said.

"Well yeah, you were his teammate. Hey Sasuke! Hello…what's the matter?"

Seeming to snap out of it, Sasuke looked towards Megumi with an unreadable face and took a step forward. "Nothing's the matter. Put on your mask Megumi."

"Geez, what a bore." Suigetsu sighed as Megumi placed the cat mask over her face.

"This place just has a lot of memories for him, I'm sure that's what he has his mind on." She explained.

They caught up to Sasuke as they walked through the small town filled with people. Megumi looked around in wonder as she could see most of the place was surrounded by water but maintained the comfortable environment she associated with the Leaf Village. Not realizing where she was walking, she accidently bumped into someone walking by her. Looking up she saw the angry face of a bad looking man. "Why don't you watch where you're walking idiot?" He growled.

Suigetsu got in front of her pointing his finger towards him when Sasuke stopped him with a hand on his wrist. "Don't start anything." They watched as the man left muttering curses to anyone who would listen.

"Man you are way nicer than I am." Suigetsu said. "I guess you owe me for not starting trouble huh, so what are you going to do about that?"

Sasuke let go of his wrist and walked ahead. "Follow me. And Megumi…" She looked up at him as he called her. "Get your head out of the clouds and watch where you're walking." She slumped a bit at his words as they walked ahead of her. '_How embarrassing.'_ She thought.

"Sasuke, where are we going?" Megumi asked.

He turned a corner and pointed at a small restaurant. "I have a feeling this place could repay my debt with Suigetsu." It was a small place that specialized in desserts and Megumi couldn't help but feel her eyes sparkle at the thought of sweets. "Plus I assumed you still had a bit of a sweet tooth."

"Woah, maybe you aren't such a bad guy." Suigetsu said as he linked his arm with Megumi's and dragged her inside.

_Ten Minutes Later…_

Suigetsu and Megumi gave a simultaneous sigh as they swallowed a spoonful of vanilla yogurt. "Man this is really good." Suigetsu said as he waved his hand for another. "I'm telling you, I've been stuck in that tank for too long if I'm missing this. Right Megumi?" He asked as he looked down at his seventh cup.

She hummed in appreciation as she finished her third cup of yogurt. They're peace was interrupted as yelling and growling could be heard from the waitresses fighting to bring them the yogurt Suiegtsu had asked, while other waitresses were sighing and staring at Sasuke as if he were a dream. Megumi rolled her eyes at the display as annoyance grew inside her.

"Hey Sasuke, you should really take advantage of this power you have over girls. It could help with this little goal you want to achieve." Suigetsu said as he tapped the glass of his cup with his spoon. "By the way, why are you putting a team together? Just what are you up to?"

"I'll fill you in once the whole team is assembled." Sasuke answered as he leaned on the wall and watched Megumi look for more yogurt in her cup. "But I will tell you that I am after something big and I need you to get to it."

"Hmm." Suigetsu's eyes brightened as he saw the waitress walking towards them with his next cup of yogurt. "Oh hey, I have a question for you." He said to the girl.

"For me?" The girl blushed as she placed another cup of yogurt in front of Megumi and watched as Suigetsu grabbed his own cup.

"Yeah, you know The Great Naruto Bridge. Have you heard about a large sword being around there or where it might be now?" Suigetsu asked.

"A sword? Yeah I may have heard something about that, why?" She asked with a small look towards Sasuke. Suigetsu pointed towards him with his spoon as he smirked at the girl.

"He's looking for it and I'm sure he'd really appreciate the help."

The girl jumped with excitement. "He would!? I'm sure someone knows something about it. I'll go take a look!" She ran back towards the other waitresses and squeals of excitement could be heard throughout the restaurant.

"Boy those girls really like you." Suigetsu stated. Megumi was about to take her first spoonful of yogurt when she was suddenly pushed onto the table by the waitresses trying to speak to Sasuke who was sitting beside her as if nothing had happened.

"Ok we think we might know!" They yelled. Megumi tried to lift herself from underneath them, but Sasuke's slight shifts in weight made them even more excited and want to get closer. "It's right outside the bridge on a hill; no one ever goes up there because they think it's haunted." One of them answered. "I can take you if you want." One of them spoke up, which then started an argument as they all wanted to take them causing them to put even more weight on Megumi.

"Grr…" She growled as she finally garnered all her strength and pushed the girls off of her. "Will you girls get the hell out of here! None of you will take us now go!" Megumi yelled.

The girls got teary eyed as they huddled together and ran back to the kitchen calling her a monster as they left. "Woah, didn't think you had it in you to yell at them like that Megumi."

"Suigetsu!" She growled with a glare in his direction. "Why would you ask them that when we already know where the sword is?!"

"What?" He drawled. "I just wanted to see how much Sasuke's fans liked him." He continued as they left towards the sword.

They made it onto the hill and approached two handmade crosses signifying graves. Stabbed into the ground of one grave was Zabuza's sword, Kubikiribocho, waiting to wielded once more. Suigetsu grinned as he grabbed it and seemed to grow incredible strength and muscles in his arm and swung the sword to rest on his shoulder. "Still looks good, alright I think I'm ready to join your team Sasuke." He smiled.

Sasuke looked around the area before focusing on Suigetsu. "Where's Megumi?"

"She said something about not being ready or whatever so she's waiting for us by the trail." Suigetsu said.

As they walked down the trail they upon the image of Megumi drawing on the ground with a kunai knife seeming to be bored with her mask beside her. "Megumi, it's time to go." Sasuke said as he offered his hand to her to help her stand.

Megumi stood and looked at the sword on Suigetsu's back and couldn't help but smile as she saw that it could finally be used again.

"So now where do we go?" Suigetsu asked. "Oh wait let me guess. We'll take the closest path, I think I'm starting to get in your head, Sasuke."

"Hmph, yeah let's take the closest path." He said with smile.

_._._._._._

They walked along the ocean surface careful to maintain perfect control over their chakra as they headed towards Karin's location that could be seen just up ahead. "Why would you pick Karin? I'm sure you could find someone way better." Suigetsu complained.

"She has an ability that I found very interesting." Sasuke said.

"Yeah, but her attitude really bothers me. And how do you even know you can trust her? There were rumors that she was an actual follower of Orochimaru's, and she experimented on me a number of times so I can personally tell you that she isn't very pleasant."

Megumi watched her feet as she walked on the water and soon drowned out Suigetsu's voice with her thoughts. What would Karin be like? Would she get along with her? Maybe they could be close like how she had been with Sakura before. She sighed as she shook her head. '_Maybe she'll be like those waitresses and only have eyes for Sasuke. That would just be terrible.'_

She looked up towards Sasuke and was thankful the mask on her face could cover her smile. Even after the years of separation, Megumi was surprised that her affection and feelings for him had only shrunken and not disappeared like she expected. _'I wonder if Sasuke gives off some sort of pheromone…'_ She wondered as they approached stone gates standing in their way. '_That would definitely explain why he has this effect on the female population.'_

Suigetsu easily cut through the doors and led the way inside. They walked along the corridors ignoring the many prisoners as to avoid riling them up until they came to a stop in front of a young woman. Her fiery red hair only added to her angry disposition as she glared at them with her arms crossed. "Megumi, Suigetsu go free the prisoners. I'm going to have a word with the warden, Karin." Sasuke ordered as he continued to stare at Karin. "Once you're done, meet us in the first interrogating room." With that said he left with the glaring girl walking beside him.

Megumi huffed at his bossy tone but walked towards the wall with keys anyway. "Here…" She said while handing one key to Suigetsu. "You go take the care of the other side of the hideout, I'll handle these cells." With a nod of affirmation, Suigetsu left to do his task leaving Megumi alone to handle the prisoners around her. They asked many questions, most wondering if Orochimaru was really gone, which she answered with a numb nod of the head. She might not have wanted to admit it, but it did hurt her a bit when Sasuke spoke to her as if she were only an underling. "And I thought we were friends." She murmured.

With a sigh of relief she unlocked the last cage and took off her mask to breath in a much needed breath. '_Now to find Sasuke.'_ Walking towards the location they had agreed to meet in, Megumi thought about what she would say to him once they could be alone. '_I'll tell him how I feel, and that I will only continue to help him if he returns home.'_ She thought as gained new confidence, walking towards the room she saw Suigetsu entering the room with the remnants of the door he cut done around him. Confused, she entered the room herself and stopped as she greeted by a strange sight.

Sasuke leaned against the couch casually with his arms draped over it; he also had Karin's arms locked around his neck as she stared at him with love struck eyes and her glasses sitting next to her. "Well, I think we got here right on time wouldn't you say Megumi?" She didn't answer Suigetsu as she held a staring contest with Sasuke trying to keep any emotion out of her face.

Karin soon got into a heated argument with Suigetsu that Megumi ignored. She hated how much that image bothered her. With a sigh of frustration she left the room and walked towards the entrance not sure where she was going and not caring that footsteps could be heard behind her. '_I should have known Sasuke's pheromones would get in the way.'_

**AN: Hey guys, I actually made a deadline this week. Cool. So here is a new chapter and what is this?! Frustration and anger in the love department? Megumi should have known, if only she would look at someone else. And who is walking behind her that wants to catch up? So mysterious….ohhh….**

**On a completely different note, is anyone else on here obsessed with ChaoticMonki, or Cry from YouTube? I can't seem to shake my affinity with his voice, weird.**

**Please leave your Reviews, it's nice to know that you guys are reading and helping improve my writing. **


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